I’m a Social Media Expert

To those who work in social media few things are as hotly debated as who is and who is not a social media expert. Just to clear things up, I’m a social media expert and here is how you can be too.

When the first journaling tools that would eventually become social media starting popping up in the mid 90’s I was still chasing girls around the swings at summer camp. Back then, if you were involved in journaling, or had a basic understanding of the programing behind these platforms, or both, you were almost unarguably a social media expert (despite this phrase not being used at time).

Fast forward to 2010. In less than 15 years social media has exploded into an industry with many facets and almost endless applications. Compare it to the auto industry on steroids, think of journaling as the Ford Model T and think of how the auto industry has evolved.

If you worked on the Model T and could have somehow cheated death and remained working at Ford in the same position do you think by 2010 you could call yourself an expert? Some would argue that your time spent in the industry would qualify you as an expert, and they would be right, but they would have to be a little more precise than that.

I would say a title like “Automotive Expert - Assembly Line” would likely be more accurate. But it could be debated that you only “worked” on the assembly line, for only one company, so your knowledge would be limited. It could also be argued that the assembly line expert title should go to it’s inventor.

Just as the auto industry has grown into a beast, so has social media. An automotive expert does not exist. Even mechanics these days, a tiny part of the greater industry, specialize in makes and in high end cars they specialize in models. And that’s just mechanical maintenance, they won’t touch any other part of that car requiring repairs such as body work or upholstery. 

Then consider others who will work on that car from design, to manufacturing, to marketing, to sales. And that’s just one model, of one make, in an industry made up of hundreds of makes and thousands of models from around the globe. Not to mention everyone who is needed just to run the company from CEOs to accountants and lawyers and even secretaries.

The title of automotive expert seems pretty fare fetched despite giving the best 110 years of your life to Ford Motor Company. Just as the automotive expert does not exist, nor should a social media expert without a little more detail about what they specialize in. I said I was a social media expert, and I am when it comes to human powered moderation and monitoring solutions for social media.

And that has value. Specializing in something always makes you sought after. How many mechanics are there in the world? Right, lots. How many mechanics certified to work on a Tesla Roadster? Right, likely less than 10. Who makes more money?

Don’t be afraid to let people know what you specialize in, it adds credibility to your name and it lets people know what you do. Here are some titles that I think should be being used:

Social Media Expert - Personal Brand Building
Social Media Expert - Social Networks
Social Media Expert - Social Networks, Asia
Social Media Expert - Public Relations
Social Media Expert - Public Relations, Consumer Brands
Social Media Expert - Public Relations, Pharmaceutical 
Social Media Expert - Internal Communication
Social Media Expert - Community Management
Social Media Expert - Advertising
Social Media Expert - Advertising, Campaigns
Social Media Expert - Monitoring
Social Media Expert - Monitoring, Strategic

This is a quick list to help make my point. I think social media experts could begin to complement each other much better if we’re honest about what our expertise really is. What do you specialize in?